Of,
pertaining to, or living in the country, as distinguished from towns or
cities; rural

Simple,
artless, or unsophisticated

Lacking
refinement or elegance; coarse

Made of
unfinished or roughly finished wood: rustic furniture

Having a rough or
textured appearance; rusticated. Used of masonry

Natural things

Zen cultivates a taste for natural things.
Instead of glossy, flamboyant, outward show, it turns the attention
inward.
You begin to notice the small, the seemingly
insignificant, and you see the wonder of the ordinary.

Simple

This way of looking at things seems most
appropriate for a martial art that conceals its
power so skilfully.
The taijiquan is not ornate.
It is simple, direct, flowing and natural.
Within the slow spirals, curves and gentle steps can be found a
grace that
is difficult to articulate.

Agricultural
mind

People who live close to the earth have an affinity for it.
They spend a lot of time outdoors, using their bodies,
working with the land.

Flow

Tai chi echoes the humble, rustic movements of the agricultural life.
It trains the body to draw in, release, bend and
straighten.
Everything occurs naturally and easily, like the flowing of the seasons.

Essentialism

When we lose track of our origins, we miss the
essence.
There is nothing in nature that needs a coat of paint. You cannot improve a
leaf by adding frills to it.
Natural things are already beautiful.
We do not need to change them, we simply need to see them and appreciate
their perfection.

At every turn he aimed
to pare away everything that was not strictly necessary to leave only the
more austere and sublimely refined.

(Andrew
Juniper)

Wabi sabi

Zen art can be seen in 'wabi sabi', in
the love of the transient, the impermanent.
Our lives are fleeting, and we suffer greatly, either through ill health or
other hardships.
This may cause sadness but the beauty of life can only be appreciated in
contrast with the difficulties and sorrow we experience.
The symbol for the samurai is the cherry blossom. It is a beautiful flower.
Yet it falls at its peak of glory.

The real

In our superficial era, it is tempting to follow the crowd and pine for
everlasting youth.
It is tempting to coat things in a veneer, a gloss.
It is tempting to embrace the superficial, to lie, to excuse and pretend.

We must not apply modern trends, fashions and
perceptions to tai chi.
See the Art as it is, in all its simplicity, with its strengths and its flaws.
Without adornment, costumes, traditions and rituals.
It may look coarser, more rough around the edges. But it is real. It is what
it was meant to be.